The multiplication principle (MP) is foundational for combinatorial problem-solving. From a units-coordination perspective, applying the MP with justification entails establishing unit relationships between the number of options at each independent stage of a counting process and the total number of combinatorial outcomes. Existing research…

In this note we demonstrate two instances where matrix multiplication can be easily verified. In the first setting, the matrix product appears as matrix element concatenation, and in the second, the product coincides with matrix addition. General proofs for some results are provided with a more complete description for 2×2 matrices. Suggested for…

A 12-episode constructivist teaching experiment with two pairs of elementary preservice teachers was conducted to examine how they reason distributively and proportionally. Specifically, I studied how prospective teachers reason with ratios as multiplicative comparisons. Prospective teachers solved different problems in one specific context (Step…

In prior work, we fit the mixture Rasch model to item responses from a fractions survey administered to a nationwide sample of middle grades mathematics teachers in the United States. The mixture Rasch model located teachers on a continuous, unidimensional scale and fit best with 3 latent classes. We used item response data to generate initial…

In the present study, we illuminate students' multiplicative reasoning in the context of their units-coordinating activity. Of particular interest is to investigate students' use of three levels of units as given material for problem-solving activity, which we regard as supporting a more advanced level of multiplicative reasoning. Among 13 middle…

Mathematical coherence is a goal within the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. One aspect of this coherence is how student mathematical thinking is developed across concepts. Unfortunately, mathematics is often taught as isolated ideas across grades. The multiplicative field is an area of study that needs to be examined as a space to…

Through a constructivist lens, this dissertation research (a case study) examines the problem of how elementary teachers' MKT might be related to their ways of implementing and adapting mathematical tasks to promote students' construction of multiplicative reasoning. In particular, this study addresses the following four research questions: 1.…

This paper frames children's mathematics as mathematics. Specifically, it draws upon our knowledge of children's mathematics and applies it to understanding the prime number theorem. Elementary school arithmetic emphasizes two principal operations: addition and multiplication. Through their units coordination activity, children construct two…

It is increasingly recognised that to be informed citizens and to participate fully in the workforce requires an understanding of statistical data and risk. Such understanding is underpinned by statistical reasoning. It has been shown, however, that students have difficulty moving from concrete representations and procedural mathematical…

Teachers need ways to efficiently assess students' cognitive understanding. One promising approach involves easily adapted and administered item types that yield quantitative scores that can be interpreted in terms of whether or not students likely possess key understandings. This study illustrates an approach to analyzing response process…

The aim of this study was to reveal 5th class middle school students' determination skills on the truth value of mathematical propositions about multiplication and division. These skills were evaluated in the context of operation meanings preferred and arguments constructed by the students in the process. The research group consisted of 95…

Combinatorial proof is an important topic both for combinatorics education and proof education researchers, but relatively little has been studied about the teaching and learning of combinatorial proof. In this paper, we focus on one specific phenomenon that emerged during interviews with mathematicians and students who were experienced provers as…

Several studies have shown that children do not only erroneously use additive reasoning in proportional word problems, but also erroneously use proportional reasoning in additive word problems. Traditionally, these errors were contributed to a lack of calculation and discrimination skills. Recent research evidence puts forward an additional…

How can students achieve an understanding of multiplication that allows them to go beyond recall to explain their thinking? Author and mathematics education professor Juli Dixon introduces a program that teachers can seamlessly integrate into existing mathematics instruction. Learn six tactics to help you shift from an anxiety-producing,…

Understanding the concept of area requires an understanding of the relationship between geometry and multiplication. The multiplicative reasoning required to find the areas of regular figures is used in many courses in elementary mathematical education. This paper explores various methods in which multiplicative reasoning is incorporated into the…